£400k for North East Lincolnshire drug and alcohol support

Nearly £400,000 is set to be spent on helping people in North East Lincolnshire recover from drug and alcohol addiction in an effort to improve health in the region.

Councillors are expected to approve measures to support people in the region by setting up a recovery centre in order to tackle the problem.

North East Lincolnshire Council hopes that the centre will then expand into a wider community service.

Members of North East Lincolnshire Council’s executive have been recommended to approve plans to find a provider for the service at a meeting next week.

The service will help those recovering from addiction problems and substance misuse by providing support, as well as opportunities for education and employment.

The council said that helping people to continue to recover will help reduce crime and disorder and improve health in the county.

Grimsby Town Hall. Photo: David Wright

Now, the authority is expected to commission a provider for the service and purchase a building for the the centre.

A total of £248,146 is set to be spent on buying a centre which will be paid for through a Public Health England grant secured by the council in 2016.

Meanwhile, running the service is expected to cost £150,000 over the next three years.

The council currently has 1,254 people in recovery based services in the region, with 170 using drug and alcohol programmes every year.

Councillor Jane Hyldon-King, portfolio holder for health and wellbeing, said the service will give people a chance to make a difference in their communities.

She said: “The recovery community will support people over 18 who have completed the treatment part of their recovery journey.

“The recovery community will help them to maintain a drug or alcohol-free lifestyle and improve their lives.

“The centre will also give people on their recovery journey the chance to help make a difference in a local community, getting involved in activities such as horticulture, sport and recycling, as well as offering them employment, education and training opportunities.

“This project has the potential to be transformative to the way that drug and alcohol rehabilitation services work in our area.

“The support provided to individuals is to be available for as long as they want it and is abstinence based.”

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